Tuesday, February 17, 2015

- - - Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme, hosted by The Broke and The Bookish, where a new topic is given for a top ten list - - -

1. Matching series cover makes me happy

It's not unusual to see multiple editions of a book/series, but having matching covers is A MUST in my book.
That includes having an entire series as only hardcover or paperback. I can't handle it not being as such.

2. I go heart-eyes when books on a shelf are the same height
Doesn't it make you glow when you see that your books align in height? No? Well, I do haha.
If I can fit another book perfectly on top of said books, I cheer.
It's one of the things I love about reorganizing my bookshelf, it's like completing a difficult puzzle.

Jay
My life was a dark and desolate place. Consumed by work and full of regret, loneliness had become my closest friend. Ink and a tattoo machine were my therapy, a way to claim my own skin with the art that I loved. The day I walked into her shop, I knew I'd found what I needed. The light I'd been looking for.

Jade
When I first looked into those blue eyes I saw a depth behind them that I wanted to explore. Jason "Jay" Clarke was more than a perfectly pressed suit and dimpled smile. He was a man with a heart of gold drowning in the weight of his world. He wanted me to mark him. I never expected him to soothe my aching heart.

When our worlds collide and Jay begins to fall apart, will my love be enough to save him?

**WARNING: Not recommended for younger readers due to sexual content and language

Chloe has one plan for the future, and one plan only: the road. She's made a promise to herself: don't let anyone in, and don't let anyone lover her. She's learned the hard way what happens if she breaks her rules. So she's focused on being invisible and waiting until she can set out on the road—her dream of freedom, at least for a little while.

Blake Hunter is a basketball star who has it all—everything about him looks perfect to those on the other side of his protective walls. He can't let anyone see the shattered pieces behind the flawless facade or else all his hopes and dreams will disappear.

One dark night throws Chloe and Blake together, changing everything for Blake. For Chloe, nothing changes: she has the road, and she's focused on it. But when the so-called perfect boy starts to notice the invisible girl, they discover that sometimes with love, no one knows where the road may lead.

It's been months since Aria last saw Perry. Months since Perry was named Blood Lord of the Tides, and Aria was charged with an impossible mission. Now, finally, they are about to be reunited. But their reunion is far from perfect.

The Tides don't take kindly to Aria, a former Dweller. And with the worsening Aether storms threatening the tribe's precarious existence, Aria begins to fear that leaving Perry behind might be the only way to save them both.

Threatened by false friends and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder, can their love survive through the ever night?

Okay *takes deep breath*. Where do I even begin? This series is everything I could wish for in a novel. There's adventure, action, betrayal, heartbreak, danger, romance, friendship and loads more. Loads more. I can't even describe it properly but I'll do my best.

Through The Ever Night is the second installment to the Under The Never Sky series by Veronica Rossi and it picks up right where book one ended. THIS SCENE. It was all kinds of wonderful, let me tell you. I absolutely loved Perry's reaction to seeing Aria after being apart for so long. My heart warmed completely and I smiled like a loon:

"When she saw him, her eyes widened in surprise, but her stride didn't slow and neither did his.

He shed his things, dropping them where they fell, and sprinted."

Do you feel the love? Because omg the feels from this scene alone, sigh <3. In TTEN, it's apparent how both Perry and Aria are hesitant to be open about their feelings. Especially since many of the tribe members aren't so welcoming to having a 'Dweller' in their midst, even if Aria is an Aud. Aether storms are worsening and occurring more often than not. Aria had struck a deal with Consul Hess to ensure the safety of Talon, Perry's nephew. And as Aria continued her communication with Consul Hess about finding the Still Blue, she quickly learned that the Pods are also at risk from the Aether. Just when I was celebrating over the fact that Aria and Perry are finally together, circumstance calls for them to be separated again but I loved seeing their character grow as the story progressed. Aria just continually got even more and more kick-a. And even though it sort of saddened me to see Perry 'stuck' in place as the new Tides' Blood Lord, I enjoyed seeing him mature as one. The Tides depended on him and it wouldn't have been in his character to abandon them. It's one of the reasons that make him such a strong and lovable hero. In the parts of the book that they were together though, constant swoons.

"Be ready, because when I see you, I'll never let you go again."

In my opinion, TTEN had a huge emphasis on trust. Trust between the Tides and Perry. Trust between Aria and Roar and even trust between her and Soren, a character I did not think I would ever come to like. I really loved seeing how close Roar and Aria had become though, how their friendship grew. But oh how my heart hurt during the few chapters close to the end. I was definitely worried that one of my favorite characters wouldn't be the same *wipes tear*. Overall, this is a story of strength and persistence, and one filled with a multitude of memorable characters. There wasn't a thing that I disliked (besides Sable, but that's a given...oh wait and that red-headed Scire!!). Ms. Rossi certainly knows how to keep you wanting more. And with how this book ended, the series is sure to conclude with a bang.

My name is Ally Prince and I've always been unlucky in love. I don't know why, I just always have.

When all of my best friends were falling for their soul mates in college, I was left behind. I was Ally, the pretty cousin of superstar quarterback, Romeo Prince. I was Ally, the best friend to the most amazing group of girls I've ever known—a title I loved, but one I became tired of 'just' being. And I was Ally, the one on which they could all rely.

But to me, I was Ally, the girl with the heart no one had claimed... And I was Ally, the girl, who underneath it all, was heart-breakingly lonely.

for the past few years, I've thrown myself into my career as a museum curator. I'm the best of the best, the person every museum wants to hire. So when an opportunity came up to move to Seattle, I jumped at the chance. My cousin and my best friend lived in Seattle and I needed a change. I needed a new beginning.

I wasn't expecting to meet anyone in the Emerald City. I wasn't expecting to work closely with the reclusive new sculptor my all-important gallery design was centered around. And I certainly wasn't expecting to fall for him... heart-stopping, epic, life-changing love... My real life fairytale come true.

But, like in every fairytale, there's a villain, a dark and tortured soul... I just didn't know that the villain and the hero in my story would end up being one and the same.

Tillie Cole is a Northern girl through and through. She originates from a place called Teesside on that little but awesomely sunny (okay I exaggerate) Isle called Great Britain. She was brought up surrounded by her English rose mother —a farmer’s daughter, her crazy Scottish father, a savagely sarcastic sister and a multitude of rescue animals and horses.

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving. Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath's sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can't let go. She doesn't want to. Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn't want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

"The whole point of fan fiction is that you get to play inside somebody else's universe."

Fangirl was my first Rainbow Rowell read and boy did I enjoy it! Wonderful and endearing. This is the kind of book that many book lovers can relate to, especially to the heroine Cath. Helpful and caring. She immersed herself in all things Simon Snow, a popular book series, and was dedicated to writing Simon Snow fanfiction. Cath was a great, genuine character.

One thing I loved about Fangirl was how all the chapters started with a passage from either the Simon Snow books or from Cath's fanfiction stories. The passages often reflected the tone of the next chapter. It was almost like a sneak peak into what was expected! Another part of the book I enjoyed was seeing the personality contrast between Cath and her twin sister, Wren. They used to be fanfiction writing partners and each other's best friend. Wren however, wanting to live it up as a freshman, tried her hardest to separate herself from Simon Snow and Cath. I didn't like Wren. I could see why she'd wanted to be more of an individual but she could have done it gradually! My heart hurt so much whenever Cath thought or worried about her sister when Wren probably didn't give a rat's bottom at the time. Gah. But I was happy to see Cath slowly come out of her shell as the story progressed. In a way though, I guess it was thanks to Wren.

"Underneath this veneer of slighly crazy and socially inept, I'm a complete disaster."

Unlike Wren, Cath continued writing fanfic. She was determined to complete her story, "Carry On", before the final book in the Simon Snow series released. She had a passion for writing and even enrolled in a Fiction Writing class, which she thoroughly enjoyed and excelled in. When she received a zero on one of her assignments, Cath couldn't understand why. I felt so bad for her during that scene! I definitely understood Cath's argument, seeing as it was technically her work even if the characters weren't. To hear the professor tell Cath that it was plagiarism though...ouch. But I loved that the moment really pushed her out of her comfort zone (Simon Snow) and in helped improve her fiction writing skills.In my opinion, the highlight of Fangirl was most definitely Levi *cue swoons*. He was incredibly friendly and easy-going. I couldn't help but smile whenever he was in the picture. He was always asking Cath to read parts of her fanfic to him and I thought that was so sweet of him. Levi is the kind of guy that says hello to everyone, whether he knows them or not. I loved seeing Cath coming out of her shell around him. And how he would walk her home from the library. Besides one part that made me want to punch him in the gut, he was all kinds of wonderful! I'll certainly be picking up another of Ms. Rowell's books soon <3

"Happily ever after, or even just together ever after, is not cheesy...It's the noblest, like, the most courageous thing two people can shoot for."